SPECIAL ELECTION / 72nd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : Ackerman Acts With Caution and Confidence : The GOP candidate is a heavy favorite over Democrat Shirley Hafner. She pins her hopes on voter backlash over bankruptcy.

Some are calling it a slam dunk, but Republican Richard Ackerman is taking nothing for granted in his race for the 72nd Assembly District seat Tuesday against Democrat Shirley Hafner.

The winner will replace veteran Ross Johnson, now a state senator, and finally bring the state Assembly to full strength after nine months of vacancies in districts around the state. An Ackerman victory would also give the Republican Party its coveted majority in the state’s lower house.

But no one wins until the vote is counted, Ackerman said.

“You never know,” Ackerman said last week while preparing a final mailer to be sent to district voters. “I’m confident, but I’ll wait until Tuesday after 10 p.m. to celebrate.”

Ackerman, 52, a Fullerton corporate attorney and former mayor, won the July primary by a wide margin over two Republican rivals in this largely residential North County district that includes La Habra, Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda and parts of Anaheim Hills and Buena Park.

Hafner, 56, a clerical worker in UC Irvine Medical Center’s neonatal intensive-care unit, came in third in the same primary. She won a spot in the runoff because she was the sole Democrat and because Ackerman did not win more than 50% of the vote.

Hafner, who also lives in Fullerton and has never held office, acknowledged she is a long shot. Without major support from the state Democratic Party, which she did not get, her expectations have diminished, she said.

“There is a chance for me, but obviously I’m not counting on it--and I wasn’t from the first day,” Hafner said. “The state party sees Orange County as a lost cause, and, when they don’t help out, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Hafner’s hopes are based on what she called “a lot of unhappiness with the Republicans in Orange County, particularly with the Board of Supervisors and the bankruptcy.”

The registration numbers, as well as campaign finances, are stacked dramatically against her. In the district of 180,000 registered voters, Republicans outnumber Democrats a nearly two-to-one ratio.

Furthermore, Ackerman said he spent an estimated $200,000, about $150,000 in the primary, while Hafner spent about $14,000, most of it during the primary.

Ackerman also is the handpicked successor of Johnson, who held the Assembly seat for more than 16 years until he moved to Irvine and won a Senate seat in the 35th District. Ackerman has also been endorsed by Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton).

If Ackerman wins and is sworn in Thursday, as expected, the Republicans will outnumber Democrats in the Assembly, 41-39. Although he backs the recall of Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress), Ackerman’s election is not expected to help unseat her, because she has enjoyed support from all 39 Democrats.

Indeed, Allen said she would welcome his victory.

“I’m looking forward to it as much as anyone else,” she said last week. “I think it’s wonderful to have 41 votes.”

But his arrival in Sacramento would immediately help Republican causes, Johnson said.

“I have backed Dick since the beginning because he is a solid person,” Johnson said. “He will give Republicans an absolute majority and help us move legislation through the Assembly and on to the state Senate, where Democrats have a razor-thin majority.”

On Ackerman’s personal agenda are familiar Republican issues such as tort reform and the streamlining of business regulations, which he called “the big one.”

“Businesses are being regulated in this state every six ways,” Ackerman said. “We need to really attack these regulations vigorously. I’m already working with some chamber and business groups and asking them for wish lists, which we can boil down to target maybe four or five key regulations.”

For Hafner, an Air Force veteran and former firefighter, the main issues are “working people’s needs and health care.” The two really coincide, she said.

“It’s the lack of affordability of good health care that’s the real issue with me,” she said. “We also need to focus on the strengthening of laws regarding working people. The Republicans would have people working eight-day weeks if they could.”

Her firefighting experience has made her a believer in increasing funding for fire and police protection, she said.

Officials at the county registrar of voters office expect a low turnout, as is the case in many special elections. Of the 17,143 absentee ballots requested in the race, 10,753 had been turned in by late Friday, a registrar official said.

Times staff writer Davan Maharaj contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Election Preview

Tuesday’s special election will fill the vacant 72nd Assembly District seat. A look at the candidates and the issues:

Richard Ackerman

Party: Republican

Age: 52

Residence: Fullerton

Family: Married, three children

Education: UC Berkeley; Hastings School of Law

Occupation: Attorney

Background: Fullerton councilman for 12 years; mayor for two terms

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Shirley Hafner

Party: Democrat

Age: 56

Residence: Fullerton

Family: Divorced, four children

Education: Marywood High School

Occupation: Unit coordinator at UC Irvine Medical Center

Background: 12-year Air Force veteran; former volunteer firefighter in Riverside County

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ISSUES

Here’s where the two stand on three key issues facing the Legislature, state and county:

Recall of Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress)

Richard Ackerman: “I support the recall. I would support the election of a ‘true Republican’ as Assembly leader.”

Shirley Hafner: “I think it’s totally outrageous she is being recalled. It’s the good ol’ boy network that can’t stand to see a woman in power.”

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The proposed anti-affirmative action initiative

Richard Ackerman: “I’m opposed to affirmative action and would be supportive of this initiative. I think people should be judged on their merits, not by their sex or the color of their skin.”

Shirley Hafner: “What Gov. Wilson is trying to do is terrible. When you have neo-Nazis in Orange County, Ku Klux Klan in Orange County and people who deny that the Holocaust occurred, and still people say there is no need for affirmative action, I am outraged. There is still a lot of racism out there.”

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Where the county should get money for bankruptcy recovery

Richard Ackerman: “I support the negotiations among the various agencies that are going on now. I think using some of the reserves from other agencies on a loan basis is something to consider, as long as they are paid back.”

Shirley Hafner: “I think before we even talk about where the money comes from, the state needs to appoint a trustee to run this county. Obviously, the supervisors didn’t manage this money before, and they won’t be able to manage it next time. I certainly don’t think any more county employees need to be laid off.”

Source: Individual candidates

Researched by LEN HALL / Los Angeles Times